jreynolds07
Joined: 07 Aug 2009
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:29 pm Post subject: Travel in Normandy With a Disability |
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My family traveled to Normandy in July 2009. My wife has limited mobility and we use a wheelchair most of the time since she is a very slow walker. First and foremost, Battlebus was the only major tour operator willing to accomodate us. I communicated with all the well-advertised competition and was either turned down flat or strongly discouraged. There may be some private, smaller tours but none I could find came with the reputation of Battlebus. Please note that we engaged a private tour so our slower pace would not affect other customers, but the result was a great experience and great value for the cost.
The Churchill Hotel is often recommended and it has at least one well-appointed room that is fully accessible. One thing we missed upon reserving is that the accesible room is actually a family room with twin beds in a loft above the main floor. We would have saved money, but since our kids are adults now it would have been very crowded. We were better off with two rooms, but if you have younger children or don't mind tight quarters it is a good place.
We found the biggest challenge for wheelchairs is accessible toilets and cobblestones, in that order. We were never turned down by a business with an available toilet even if we only stopped for that reason. However, many WC's in Europe are on the -1 level, downstairs. Modern buildings or recent renovations are most likely to have a ground floor WC; always ask, they are not always obviously marked and those are cleaner than most but sometimes used as storage. We usually chose a restaurant by its WC as much as a menu, so you have more dining options if you scout ahead and take care of personal needs first.
For cobblestones and rough pavement I outfitted the chair with no-flat foam inserts within bicycle-style tires, ordered from a wheelchair company. For the front wheels we used Froglegs shock absorber casters and urethane wheels. I also put push-handle extensions on, all of which made pushing and riding easier. There are still bumps and hills, and nothing is perfect, but better than our last trip to Europe. Last on the subject, almost all curbs had cuts and ramps, and the Europeans fall all over themselves getting out of the way of a wheelchair; very refreshing treatment.
Enough for now, but I am happy to chat about this topic more. Maybe I can help others have a better experience from what we learned, and I know I will also learn something new from others. |
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